Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

Elections in Minnesota, 2022

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← 2018
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 31, 2022
Primary: August 9, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Tim Walz (Democratic) Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Minnesota
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Minnesota executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Auditor

Incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (D) defeated Scott Jensen (R) and eight other candidates in the general election for governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

Walz’s win contributed to Minnesota becoming a Democratic trifecta, as Democrats maintained their majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives and gained a majority in the Minnesota State Senate.

Walz served in the Army National Guard and was a teacher in Mankato, Minnesota. He was first elected to Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2006 and served in the U.S. House until 2019. Walz was elected governor in 2018, defeating Jeff Johnson (R), 54% to 42%. Walz said that his administration had built a strong economy in his first term. He said that he "balanced every budget while cutting taxes, adding money to the state’s rainy-day fund, and making critical investments to expand access to training opportunities and community college programs."

Jensen, a physician, was owner of Catalyst Medical Clinic in Watertown, Minnesota. He was a member of the Waconia School Board and served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2017 to 2021. He listed his top campaign priorities as stopping crime, fighting inflation, lowering energy costs, protecting and supporting women, and increasing rural prosperity. Jensen explained why he was running, saying, "Our great State has suffered under unilateral control, partisan bickering, and political brinksmanship by the parties and politicians...We need a new vision, a new prescription... It’s time for a new direction in Minnesota."

From 1990 to 2022, Minnesota had two Democratic governors, two Republican governors, and one governor who was elected as a member of the Reform Party. Walz succeeded Mark Dayton (D), who served as governor from 2011 to 2019.

Heading into the 2022 elections, Minnesota was one of 13 states with divided government and one of two states—along with Virginia—where partisan control of the state legislature was split between Democrats and Republicans. From 1992 to 2022, Minnesota had divided government for 28 out of 30 years.

The 2020 and 2016 presidential elections in Minnesota were both decided by seven percentage points or less. In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden (D) won the state over then-incumbent President Donald Trump (R), 52% to 45%. In 2016, Hillary Clinton carried Minnesota with 46.4% of the vote to Trump's (D) 44.9%. At the start of the 2022 election cycle, Inside Elections rated this race Solid Democratic.

Thirty-six states held gubernatorial elections in 2022. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Of those states holding gubernatorial elections, 20 had a Republican governor, and 16 states had a Democratic one. In 2022, eight governors—five Republicans and three Democrats—did not run for re-election, with seven of those not running due to term limits.

Minor party and write-in candidates included Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota), Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota), James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party), Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party), and independent write-in candidates Loner Blue, Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril, Joyce Lacey, and Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash.

As of 2022, Minnesota was one of nine states where the lieutenant governor is chosen by each gubernatorial candidate before the primaries and runs on a single ticket in both the primary and general elections. The table below displays the governor and lieutenant governor candidates for each ticket.

Minnesota governor and lieutenant governor tickets, 2022
Party	Gubernatorial candidate	Lieutenant governor running mate
Democrat	Tim Walz	Peggy Flanagan
Republican	Scott Jensen	Matt Birk
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota	Steve Patterson	Matt Huff
Independence Party of Minnesota	Hugh McTavish	Mike Winter
Legal Marijuana Now Party	James McCaskel	David Sandbeck
Socialist Workers Party	Gabrielle Prosser	Kevin A. Dwire

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Election news

Click below to view a timeline leading up to the election, including polling, debates, and other noteworthy events.

• November 9, 2022: Gov. Tim Walz (D) was projected as the winner over Scott Jensen (R) and eight other candidates in the November 8, 2022, general election for governor of Minnesota.

• October 31, 2022: Pre-General election campaign finance filings were due. Walz reported raising $5.7 million and spending $8.6 million and Jensen reported raising $4.4 million and spending $4.9 million during 2022.

• September 18, 2022: The Trafalgar Group released a poll of 1,079 likely voters sponsored by Alpha News showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 48%, Scott Jensen with 45%, and 7% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 2.9 percentage points.

• September 17, 2022: Mason Dixon Polling and Strategy released a poll of 800 likely voters sponsored by MPR News, the Star Tribune, and KARE 11 showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 48%, Scott Jensen with 41%, and 11% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.

• September 6, 2022: Survey USA released a poll of 562 likely voters sponsored by KSTP showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 51%, Scott Jensen with 33%, and 16% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.

• August 9, 2022: Gov. Tim Walz won the Democratic primary and Scott Jensen won the Republican primary.

• August 3, 2022: Jensen and Walz participated in a debate at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.

• March 8, 2022: Scott Jensen selected Matt Birk as his lieutenant gubernatorial running mate.

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz (D)	52.3	1,312,349
		Scott Jensen (R)	44.6	1,119,941
		James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party)	1.2	29,346
		Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	0.9	22,599
		Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota)	0.7	18,156
		Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party)	0.3	7,241
		Joyce Lacey (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11
		Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	5
		Loner Blue (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4
		Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,009

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,510,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Cory Hepola (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Incumbent Tim Walz defeated Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz	96.5	416,973
		Ole Savior	3.5	14,950

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 431,923
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brandon Millholland-Corcoran (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Scott Jensen defeated Joyce Lacey and Bob Carney Jr. in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Jensen	89.3	288,499
		Joyce Lacey	6.6	21,308
		Bob Carney Jr.	4.1	13,213

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 323,020
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mike Murphy (R)
• Neil Shah (R)
• Michelle Benson (R)
• Paul Gazelka (R)
• Mike Marti (R)
• Kendall Qualls (R)
• Richard Stanek (R)
• Scott Magie (R)

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota

Steve Patterson defeated Darrell Paulsen in the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Patterson	59.1	1,003
		Darrell Paulsen	40.9	693

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,696
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota

James McCaskel defeated Chris Wright in the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James McCaskel	51.9	1,461
		Chris Wright	48.1	1,356

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,817
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Lieutenant Governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peggy Flanagan (D)	52.3	1,312,349
		Matt Birk (R)	44.6	1,119,941
		David Sandbeck (Legal Marijuana Now Party)	1.2	29,346
		Matt Huff (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	0.9	22,599
		Mike Winter (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota)	0.7	18,156
		Kevin A. Dwire (Socialist Workers Party)	0.3	7,241
		Kent Edwards (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11
		Lance Hegland (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	5
		Al Smith (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4
		Olamide Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,009

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,510,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tamara Uselman (Independent)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Minnesota

Election information in Minnesota: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 18, 2022
• Online: Oct. 18, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2022
• Online: Nov. 7, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 23, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Tim Walz

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• Governor of Minnesota (Assumed office: 2019)
• U.S. House of Representatives - Minnesota District 1 (2007-2019)

Biography:  Walz received a bachelor's degree in social science from Chadron State College. His professional experience includes serving in the Army National Guard and as a high school teacher at Mankato West High School. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019 and was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Walz said that his administration had built a strong economy in his first term, saying on his campaign website that he "balanced every budget while cutting taxes, adding money to the state’s rainy-day fund, and making critical investments to expand access to training opportunities and community college programs."

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Walz said in his first term that he had "made a major push to expand access to pre-kindergarten, and their most recent budget included major investments in summer learning programs to ensure that students statewide stay up to speed on their education despite the pandemic."

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Walz said on his campaign website that he had "helped pass important public safety reforms to tackle crime and reduce gun violence while reforming policing to ensure the safety of all Minnesotans." and "proposed $300 million to help local governments fund law enforcement, first responders, and improve public safety."

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Show sources

Sources: Walz-Flanagan, "Accomplishments," accessed August 18, 2022; ; State of Minnesota, Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, "Governor Tim Walz," accessed August 18, 2022; 

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Scott Jensen

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Minnesota State Senate, District 47 (2017-2021)
• Waconia (MN) School Board (1993-2002)

Biography:  Jensen received a bachelor's degree in physiology from the University of Minnesota, attended Luther Theological Seminary, and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota. His professional experience includes serving as a physician in private practice. He served on the Waconia School Board from 1993 to 2002 and in the Minnesota State Senate from 2017 to 2021.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Jensen listed his top campaign priorities on his website as stopping crime, fighting inflation, lowering energy costs, protecting and supporting women, and increasing rural prosperity.

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Jensen's plan for reducing crime on his campaign website included proposals to "Make Carjacking a Crime with Harsh Penalty, Stop Non-Profit Funding to Bail out Criminals, Bring in the State Patrol to Reinstate Order, and Stiffen penalties for repeat, violent criminals to felony levels and increase sentencing guidelines for such crimes."

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Jensen stated a plan to lower gas prices which included provisions to "Increase the availability of higher biofuel blends in Minnesota without a E15 mandate...Suspend the 28.6 cent Minnesota gas tax and freeze the 2 cent click on tax for gas...and directing our Commerce Department to report...on any measure...to reduce the fuel costs on Minnesotans at either the retail, wholesale or production level.

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Show sources

Sources: Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "Issues," accessed August 18, 2022; Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "A Plan to Cut Gas Prices; Relief for Minnesotans," accessed August 18, 2022; ; Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "About Dr. Scott Jensen," accessed August 18, 2022; 

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Hugh McTavish

Party: Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am a Ph.D. biochemist, patent attorney, inventor, entrepreneur, and author. I have started two pharmaceutical companies off my own inventions. I have 21 U.S. patents, 18 scientific journal articles, have authored three books, and have started two pharmaceutical companies off of my own inventions. Like all of us, I have had adversity in my life, and I try to turn those events for good. When I got cancer, I invented a better cancer drug and started a company around it. When Gov. Walz locked us in our homes for 6 weeks and thereby drove me and 1 in 5 of us into depression, I took that adversity as fuel and started a nonprofit COVID Sanity and wrote a book COVID Lockdown Insanity to document the harms of the lockdown response to COVID, especially the huge increases in depression, drug abuse, and deaths of despair, and how vastly those harms exceeded the benefits. Easily my greatest invention is what I call “Jury Democracy,” and that is the reason I am running for office. It can transform the way we do government, entirely for the better. "

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Jury Democracy. Empowering the people. I will call juries of 500+ randomly selected citizens to the capital to listen to the arguments and evidence from both sides on one bill or proposal, break into small groups of 12 to discuss it, and then vote by secret ballot. Every bill to become law and every important decision will require the approval of a citizen jury. Effectively, I will not be Governor, WE ALL WILL BE! Decisions will be made: (1) By reason and evidence instead of money and influence (2) By civil discourse instead of division and screaming at each other (3) By all of us, instead of by politicians and bureaucrats

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Govern with the goal of happiness, instead of GDP growth. We will measure and track happiness, depression, and loneliness as carefully as we now measure economic statistics. Toward that end I propose (1) Replace the mask mandate with a Name Tag Request. Ask that all of us wear name tag that says “Minnesota Nice” and your first name on it. It will promote connection and be a reminder to be nice. (2) The “Minnesota Siesta.” I will ask all of us to take a 15 minute walk outside once a week at 2 pm on Thursdays. This also will promote connection and happiness and exercise and being outside.

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Rewild Minnesota and share the planet with wild species. Sharing is a value we should have learned in kindergarten. I propose that over a 50-year period we rewild 50% of the land. We return it to nature and to the primary use of wild species. I want buffalo roaming wild, abundant native prairie, and wolves, cougars, and bears restored to their native range over 50% of the land. This is economically feasible, but it is only possible with Jury Democracy for reasons explained at McTavish4MN.org.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Jury Democracy. Empowering the people. I will call juries of 500+ randomly selected citizens to the capital to listen to the arguments and evidence from both sides on one bill or proposal, break into small groups of 12 to discuss it, and then vote by secret ballot. Every bill to become law and every important decision will require the approval of a citizen jury. Effectively, I will not be Governor, WE ALL WILL BE! Decisions will be made: (1) By reason and evidence instead of money and influence (2) By civil discourse instead of division and screaming at each other (3) By all of us, instead of by politicians and bureaucrats

Govern with the goal of happiness, instead of GDP growth. We will measure and track happiness, depression, and loneliness as carefully as we now measure economic statistics. Toward that end I propose (1) Replace the mask mandate with a Name Tag Request. Ask that all of us wear name tag that says “Minnesota Nice” and your first name on it. It will promote connection and be a reminder to be nice. (2) The “Minnesota Siesta.” I will ask all of us to take a 15 minute walk outside once a week at 2 pm on Thursdays. This also will promote connection and happiness and exercise and being outside.

Rewild Minnesota and share the planet with wild species. Sharing is a value we should have learned in kindergarten. I propose that over a 50-year period we rewild 50% of the land. We return it to nature and to the primary use of wild species. I want buffalo roaming wild, abundant native prairie, and wolves, cougars, and bears restored to their native range over 50% of the land. This is economically feasible, but it is only possible with Jury Democracy for reasons explained at McTavish4MN.org.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I am most passionate about Jury Democracy. It is easily the greatest invention of my life and the most important thing I will ever do. It will totally transform the way we do government. It will give real power to all of us, to ordinary people. It will give perfect proportional representation. The poor and middle class will have real power and representation. Young people, minorities, and women will all have power and representation proportional to their numbers—all without quotas or affirmative action. It will unite us and calm our divisions. When you deliberate with other jurors with different life experiences, you will find that you learn from each other, like each other, and agree far more than we have been told. And it will be making policy based on evidence, reason, and civil discourse, instead of money, influence, and division. In addition to happiness and the environment, I am passionate in my opposition to the COVID lockdown response. This was one of the worst public policy disasters in history—it destroyed education and childhood for 2 years, threw 1 in 5 of us into major depression, threw 16% of workers out of their jobs, took small businesses from their owners without compensation, massively infringed our liberty, and created a crime wave, all without having any apparent effect on COVID cases or deaths.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Martin Luther King, Jr., is my greatest hero. I admire most all those in history who have had the courage to stand up for what they believed to be right and suffer consequences for it, including Martin Luther, Rachel Carson, Medgar Evers, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela. My favorite writer and philosopher is Henry David Thoreau.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I am a problem solver and an independent, outside-the-box creative thinker. I have done that throughout my life. I invented a way to harness the green plant photosynthetic system to harvest renewable energy and invented new drugs for cancer and cold sores by outside-the-box thinking. That quality has served me with my invention of Jury Democracy. It solves the problems of division in our society and government; governmental paralysis; corruption and the problem of influence and campaign finance controlling our government; and strict limits on what is acceptable to debate made by the elites, media, tech giants, and moneyed interests. All sides will have access and the ability to get a hearing for their ideas. Then the ideas will be judged on the merits based on evidence and reasoning. And they will be judged by all of us, talking with each other after being fully informed in a fair hearing. In addition to being an independent thinker, I am good at fairly evaluating evidence and not believing what I am told just because it comes from those in power. I learned that as a scientist. You evaluate ideas based on data and evidence, not who says them. That served me to realize what a disaster the COVID lockdowns would be and have been. The media and elites told us "we had no choice" and the lockdowns saved many lives. Of course we always have a choice, so that part is nonsense. And the media and government did not apparently consider the possibility that the lockdowns would kill people by driving up suicides and deaths of despair, as well as murders and cancer deaths. But I could see that possibility and wrote that it was certain to happen and likely that the time of life lost from those we effectively decided to kill by driving up deaths of despair and other deaths would exceed the time of life saved in prevented COVID deaths. Data shows I was right.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Jury Democracy. I hope people remember me as the father of Jury Democracy. It is not important whether I am remembered, but I would like to see Jury Democracy be implemented and spread around the world.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I think Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. I was 7 at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I worked in a veterinary clinic and literally shoveled poop and loved it. I had it for a year or two.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Only if we are invaded by Iowa.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Tim Walz

August 9, 2022

August 5, 2022

August 3, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter

Scott Jensen

August 12, 2022

August 8, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter

Debates and forums

This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.

August 3 debate

On August 3, 2022, Jensen and Walz participated in a debate at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

Click on the link below for a summary of the event:

• Duluth News Tribune

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals. The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times." For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.

Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2022: general election polls
Poll	Date	Walz	Jensen	Undecided/ Other	Margin of error	Sample size	Sponsor
The Trafalgar Group	September 16-18, 2022	48 %	45 %	7 %	+/- 2.9	1,079 LV	Alpha News
Mason Dixon Polling and Strategy	September 12-14, 2022	48 %	41 %	11 %	+/- 3.5	800 LV	MPR News/Star Tribune/KARE 11
Survey USA	Aug. 30 - Sept. 4, 2022	51 %	33 %	16 %	+/- 4.9	562 LV	KSTP

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Lean Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Noteworthy endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorser	Tim Walz	Scott Jensen
Government officials
Vice President Kamala D. Harris (D)  source	✔
U.S. President Barack Obama (D)  source	✔
Frmr. Gov. Jesse Ventura  source	✔
Individuals
Frmr. President Donald Trump  source		✔

Election spending

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

If available, links to satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. Any satellite spending reported in other resources is displayed in a table. This table may not represent the actual total amount spent by satellite groups in the election. Satellite spending for which specific amounts, dates, or purposes are not reported are marked "N/A." To help us complete this information, or to notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

By candidate
Tim Walz Scott Jensen

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Minnesota and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Minnesota, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Minnesota's 1st	Vacant	Republican	R+7
Minnesota's 2nd	Angie Craig	Democratic	D+1
Minnesota's 3rd	Dean Phillips	Democratic	D+8
Minnesota's 4th	Betty McCollum	Democratic	D+17
Minnesota's 5th	Ilhan Omar	Democratic	D+30
Minnesota's 6th	Tom Emmer	Republican	R+12
Minnesota's 7th	Michelle Fischbach	Republican	R+19
Minnesota's 8th	Pete Stauber	Republican	R+8

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Minnesota
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Minnesota's 1st	44.3%	53.5%
Minnesota's 2nd	52.5%	45.4%
Minnesota's 3rd	59.5%	38.5%
Minnesota's 4th	67.8%	30.2%
Minnesota's 5th	80.6%	17.4%
Minnesota's 6th	40.1%	57.7%
Minnesota's 7th	32.5%	65.7%
Minnesota's 8th	43.4%	54.7%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 51.8% of Minnesotans lived in one of the state's nine Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 38.6% lived in one of 59 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Minnesota was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Minnesota following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Minnesota county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	9	51.8%
Solid Republican	59	38.6%
Trending Republican	15	5.8%
Battleground Democratic	4	3.8%
Total voted Democratic	13	55.7%
Total voted Republican	74	44.3%

Historical voting trends

Minnesota presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 20 Democratic wins
• 10 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Minnesota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Minnesota.

U.S. Senate election results in Minnesota
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	48.8%	43.5%
2018	53.0%	42.4%
2018	60.3%	36.2%
2014	53.2%	42.9%
2012	65.2%	30.6%
Average	56.1	39.1

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Minnesota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Minnesota.

Gubernatorial election results in Minnesota
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	53.8%	42.4%
2014	50.1%	44.5%
2010	43.6%	43.2%
2006	46.7%	45.7%
2002	44.4%	36.5%
Average	47.7	42.5

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Minnesota's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Minnesota, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	4	6
Republican	0	4	4
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	8	10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Minnesota's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Minnesota, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Tim Walz
Lieutenant Governor	Peggy Flanagan
Secretary of State	Steve Simon
Attorney General	Keith Ellison

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Minnesota State Legislature as of November 2022.

Minnesota State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	31
	Republican Party	34
	Independent	1
	Vacancies	1
Total		67

Minnesota House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	69
	Republican Party	63
	Independent	1
	Vacancies	1
Total		134

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Minnesota was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and a majority in the house and Republicans controlling a majority in the state senate. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2022
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	I	I	I	I	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Minnesota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

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Demographic Data for Minnesota
	Minnesota	United States
Population	5,706,494	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	79,631	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	81.6%	70.4%
Black/African American	6.4%	12.6%
Asian	4.9%	5.6%
Native American	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Two or more	3.9%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	5.5%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	93.4%	88.5%
College graduation rate	36.8%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$73,382	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	9.3%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Minnesota, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
Minnesota	Governor	Democratic or Republican	2,000	$300.00	5/31/2022	Source	Petition signatures only required in lieu of filing fee.
Minnesota	Governor	Unaffiliated	2,000	N/A	5/31/2022	Source

Election history

2018

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

Tim Walz defeated Jeff Johnson, Chris Wright, and Josh Welter in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz (D)	53.8	1,393,096
		Jeff Johnson (R)	42.4	1,097,705
		Chris Wright (Grassroots Party)	2.7	68,667
		Josh Welter (L)	1.0	26,735
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,084

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,587,287 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Christopher Seymore (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Tim Walz defeated Erin Murphy, Lori Swanson, Tim Holden, and Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz	41.6	242,832
		Erin Murphy	32.0	186,969
		Lori Swanson	24.6	143,517
		Tim Holden	1.1	6,398
		Ole Savior	0.7	4,019

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 583,735
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tina Liebling (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Jeff Johnson defeated Tim Pawlenty and Matt Kruse in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Johnson	52.6	168,841
		Tim Pawlenty	43.9	140,743
		Matt Kruse	3.5	11,330

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 320,914
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey (R)
• Bob Carney Jr. (R)
• Christopher Chamberlin (R)

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Peggy Flanagan defeated Donna Bergstrom, Judith Schwartzbacker, and Mary O'Connor in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peggy Flanagan (D)	53.8	1,393,096
		Donna Bergstrom (R)	42.4	1,097,705
		Judith Schwartzbacker (Grassroots Party)	2.7	68,667
		Mary O'Connor (L)	1.0	26,735
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,084

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,587,287 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Peggy Flanagan defeated Erin Maye Quade, Rick Nolan, James Mellin II, and Chris Edman in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peggy Flanagan	41.6	242,832
		Erin Maye Quade	32.0	186,969
		Rick Nolan	24.6	143,517
		James Mellin II	1.1	6,398
		Chris Edman	0.7	4,019

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 583,735
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Zarina Baber (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Donna Bergstrom defeated incumbent Michelle Fischbach and Theresa Loeffler in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Donna Bergstrom	52.6	168,841
		Michelle Fischbach	43.9	140,743
		Theresa Loeffler	3.5	11,330

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 320,914
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2014

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Dayton/Tina Smith Incumbent	50.1%	989,113
	Republican	Jeff Johnson/Bill Kuisle	44.5%	879,257
	Independence	Hannah Nicollet/Tim Gieseke	2.9%	56,900
	Grassroots Party	Chris Wright/David Daniels	1.6%	31,259
	Libertarian	Chris Holbrook/Chris Dock	0.9%	18,082
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	1,134
Total Votes				1,975,745
Election results via Minnesota Secretary of State

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

• Michigan's 3rd Congressional District election, 2022
• Nevada's 3rd Congressional District election, 2022 (June 14 Republican primary)
• North Carolina's 13th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)
• Ohio's 1st Congressional District election, 2022
• Texas' 34th Congressional District special election, 2022

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of Minnesota official website
• Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota official website